Life
Spending time together as a family is important to parents, and there are lots of activities to bond over. The next time you're looking for a fun way to spend time with the kids, consider an option that serves as a two-for-one: exercises you can do with kids. Not only will you be strengthening your relationship, but you'll be boosting your health and setting a good example for your children.
Having an active lifestyle doesn't come easily for every family. There is work, school, piano lesson, and birthday parties that take up a large portion of your day. Finding the free time to fit in exercise can be a challenge, but it's not impossible. Learning how to squeeze in some movement can be fun for the whole family, you just have to get a little creative. In fact, working exercise into family time can be pretty easy once you start to notice all the opportunities. It doesn't have to be anything formal, you can keep it as simple as a walk around your neighborhood.
Being active as a family can be a special part of your week with these 11 exercises to do with kids. It's a great way to feel good and be together.
1
Kickball
Want to enjoy a sunny afternoon? Head out with the troops for a few rounds of kickball. If you need more players, try rounding up some neighbors for a little friendly competition.
2
Swimming
Summer isn't the only time for splashing. Plenty of gyms and rec centers have indoor pools available for use with a small fee. This is also a good option when traveling, since many hotels have indoor pools as well.
3
Walking
Take a stroll through your neighborhood or local park. If that sounds boring to the kids, turn it into a scavenger hunt by creating a list of things for them to find along the way.
4
Jump Rope
See who can jump rope the most times in one minute, or learn how to double dutch. You can even be inspired by jump rope videos on You Tube, which teach you how to learn a variety of tricks.
5
Bike
Hit the road on two wheels. If you don't live on a street that's good for riding, many cities have bike paths and trails which are free of charge to use.
6
Dance
My family loves to crank up the tunes and shake it. It can take place in any room of the house — and it's usually spontaneous — but we always end up laughing and sweating and happy.
7
Hike
Get into nature and enjoy a hike together as a family. You don't need to do a tough trail to get the benefits of feeling energized and raising your heart rate. Just getting our there and moving feels good.
8
Skate
Take your kids to the skating rink and show them all your old moves. Make sure to stick around for the limbo contest, although you may want to leave that one to the littles.
9
Yoga
Enjoy the benefits of a good stretch with some yoga. There are also videos for yoga with kids, from websites like Yoga Today. Little kids already love pretending to be animals, so naturally they will really dig poses like down dog, pigeon, and eagle.
10
Active Games
Choose to play games that keep you moving. A relay race, cleaning the house as fast as possible, and wii fit are all good ways to have fun while being active.
11
Volunteer
Find a volunteer opportunity, like Habitat For Humanity, that needs physical labor. Cleaning river fronts, helping to build a shelter, and stocking boxes for food banks are all great ways to work those muscles while giving back to your community.
Images: Tim Griffin, Samuel Hartman, chelly cruz, Donald Lee Pardue, gfpeck, Bike SLO County, Joseph Choi, Rob Briscoe, Steve Snodgrass, Mike Tidd, Dawn, Daniel Thornton/Flickr
